NHS staff are more likely to feel stressed because of their job than any other public sector workers, a Guardian survey reveals.

Some 61% of healthcare professionals who took part in the research reported feeling stressed all or most of the time, and 59% said they feel more stressed this year than last year.

One midwife who answered the survey lost a stone in two weeks because she couldn’t take a break on her 12.5-hour shifts. She said: “We are under-resourced and definitely understaffed. We feel we are run off our feet yet only give the bare minimum of care to each person.”

The survey, carried out as part of a broader investigation into staff wellbeing and completed by 3,700 public and voluntary sector staff, also revealed that NHS workers are the least likely to take a break during a working day.

Just over a quarter (26%) don’t take a break at all, and only around one in 10 gets more than half an hour. The large majority of NHS workers (96%) also work beyond their contracted hours, doing an average of five extra hours per week.

One respondent – a physiotherapist who said they feel stressed most of the time – said that expectations from government, management and patients against a backdrop of money saving, job freezes and continual undermining by the media, all contribute to stress levels.

Stress also has an impact on NHS workers’ mental and physical health. One GP who took the survey said: “Stress at work has had a major impact over the years on myself and my family, including relationships, mental health and general wellbeing.” They added that their stress levels had lessened only because they had taken early retirement before becoming self-employed and reducing their hours.

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It’s not just those in clinical roles who are feeling the pressure, either. One accountant in an NHS trust said: “The shortage of resources, long hours and workload can only result in increased stress and we are rarely thanked.” One senior manager, who left their job for a lower-paid role because of stress, added: “I feel I can’t help my team or myself more to cope and adapt to change and pressure.”

Barrie Brown, head of health for Unite, said in response to the findings: “Repeated surveys by the health unions over the years have shown that NHS staff are working under significant stress – this phenomenon has never been satisfactorily addressed by successive health secretaries ... Health secretary Jeremy Hunt needs to get a handle on the issues of stress and the debilitating impact it has on hard-pressed and dedicated NHS professionals ...”

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: “Frontline work in the NHS is rewarding, but it can be emotionally and physically challenging, so it’s vital those staff have the right support ... The culture in the NHS has improved demonstrably and there is more specialist support. But we cannot be complacent as progress is uneven and the NHS must keep innovating to meet ever-growing demand on its services.”

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